Sampled at the Drake’s Barrel House on 2/16/2013. This barley wine pours a slightly cloudy medium brown color from the tap. Medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is fruity, brown sugar, caramel and sweet, hints of bourbon and oak. A medium bodied Barley Wine. The malts are caramel, brown sugar, dark fruit and sweet. The hops are herbal and earthy. Nice carbonation. Hints of oak and bourbon. There is some alcohol that compliments the beer, without overwhelming it. Some lingering residual sweetness. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Tap. Pours hazy deep amber with a medium beige head and nice lacing. Aroma is very sweet, molasses, brown sugar, some wood and bourbon in the background. Flavor is the same, medium to very sweet, light bitter, medium warming from the ABV. Light astringence is the primary way the barrel wood asserts itself. Medium body and creamy in the mouth. I liked this, but then I like sweet barley wines.

A - Pours an almost clear reddish-brown color with a thin layer of frothy off-white head. The head fades down quickly leaving behind some lacing.
S - Aroma is a mix of sweet rich toasted and caramelized malts with some light citrus hops, dark fruit, and a bit of booze.
T - Starts off with a mix of rich sweet malts with a bit of sweet dark fruit and a hint of booze. Through the middle, a touch of earthy hops with some more caramelized malts, dark fruit, and residual sugars. The finish is a mix of sweet caramelized malts and dark fruit with some booze.
M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth and a bit syrupy with a warming and sweet finish.
D - Very drinkable. A bit hot and sharp, but there is enough flavor and body to balance things out fairly well.

Pours a dark amber, maybe mahogany, color with an off-white head. A pleasant chocolate aroma along with lots of rich toffee and caramel. There is a hint of vanilla in the background and some toasted malt. Just a hint of alcohol, too. The flavor is not quite as robust as you might expect, but it is still very good. Heavy on the caramel and toffee with a hint of dark fruit and chocolate. Mild vanilla and alcohol notes as well.

On tap at Beer Rev with my significant other (not her favorite so I had the vast majority of this pour). Pours with a deep amber hue, mostly clear. Small tan head, mild alcohol lace. Aromas are fruity, lots of melanoidins, some spicy notes, caramel, bready. Tons of malt overall, but not much else. Flavors are pretty much bone dry. Thin, but malty with a lot of alcohol. Bready, with mild caramel. Malt with very little complexity or anything else. Thin, alcohol, low-to-medium carbonation. Warming. Nice malt, but thin and lacking anything else.

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